2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class: First Drive

With Mercedes-Benz bringing out coupe and plug-in hybrid versions of its S-Class sedan, the German automaker just may follow through with a battery-electric variant as well. That's what the company's Uwe Ernstberger told the folks at Top Gear during the Geneva Motor Show. And while he noted the company still needs to work in a larger-than-usual battery pack and was less than specific with details, he did envision an all-electric S-Class "in the future." Of course, rumors started bubbling about a

Mercedes-Benz is having a hard time keeping up with demand for its C-Class, GLK-Class and the all-new 2014 S-Class, so it announced that a new plan to boost production capacity. This all comes as Mercedes expects to set an all-time production record of more than 1.49 million vehicles globally.

This is a new ad from Mercedes-Benz. At no point does it show an automobile. Instead, it stars animals, but not the sort you might normally see in car commercial. This ad is all about chickens. It is bizarre, to say the least, with Diana Ross and the Supremes belting it out in the background, but it all kind of comes together when you realize just what Mercedes is hawking (yeah, pun intended).

The new S-Class might be the latest and greatest from Mercedes-Benz, but the groundwork for its emergence at the forefront of automotive development was laid back in the 1950s with the Type 300 – also known as the Adenauer. Mercedes chose the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance to showcase the 2014 S-Class alongside some of its predecessors, and earlier this month it released an interesting look at this luxury sedan's pedigree.

Mercedes-Benz has activated the configurator for the all-new 2014 S-Class, and not surprisingly, there are a lot of goodies for this new luxo-barge. The options packages are quite extensive, although the S550 isn't big on standalone options.

The massively overhauled 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class will start at $92,900, not including a $925 destination fee, when it arrives at US dealers in October. That's a 2.8-percent drop over the 2013 S-Class, although Mercedes is fast to point out that a drop in price doesn't equate with a drop in equipment for the executive sedan.